As soon as the tree man completed its transformation, it immediately recovered a measure of mobility. Its four limbs thrashed wildly, and a bizarre tremor rippled through its body. Several of the black threads within its wooden form were forcibly snapped apart. It then took a great stride, and billowing mist surged beneath its feet, lifting it into the air.
With a sharp hissing sound, the Heavenly Shaman Skeleton — which had appeared sluggish in movement — suddenly moved both arms, its ten fingers shooting upward at a speed invisible to the naked eye. Countless blood threads instantly wove together into a massive net that slashed downward.
The tree man that had just taken flight froze in midair before exploding into countless fragments.
From the explosion, a wisp of green gas coalesced, transforming into a faint green phantom that shot outward. In a single flicker, it appeared in the sky more than twenty zhang away, and with another flicker was about to catch up with the two small figures ahead.
Just then, green flames flickered in the giant skeleton's eye sockets. Its massive jaw snapped open, and it spat out a dazzling streak of crimson radiance.
The green phantom felt the surrounding void suddenly constrict, and an unimaginably colossal force surged from behind. Barely managing a single shrill cry, it was swept up by the crimson radiance and dragged downward. In the next instant, it was pulled without any resistance into the skeleton's gaping maw, which began chewing rapidly.
A streak of light flashed!
Elder Wu and Elder Yu's Nascent Souls seized the opportunity to burst out of the iron cage. But when they glanced back, they witnessed the final elder's demise.
The two were simultaneously horrified and furious.
Elder Yu immediately let out a mighty shout. His Nascent Soul rubbed both hands together, conjuring a mass of black flame behind it. As the wind caught it, the flame transformed into the phantom of a pitch-black giant scorpion.
His Nascent Soul formed another hand seal, preparing to drive the scorpion phantom into the iron cage.
But with a sharp crack, the nearby Nascent Soul of Elder Wu seized his arm: "This kind of attack is utterly useless. We've lost our physical bodies, and with our vital essence already so heavily depleted, there's no way we can do anything to this Blood Fiend Corpse. We need to flee while it hasn't fully regained its freedom. Otherwise, all three of us truly may perish right here."
No sooner had the words left his mouth— The iron cage below shuddered violently. One of the giant skeleton's massive thighs shifted, and its enormous body rose shakily to a half-standing position. Its eyes, flickering with green flame, stared blankly at the Nascent Souls outside the cage.
At this point, the black threads inside the skeleton had already been devoured in large part, with only a small portion still clustered around the other thigh, barely continuing to resist the blood threads' assault.
The moment the two elders' Nascent Souls met the skeleton's gaze, both felt an involuntary chill seize their hearts.
"Fine — I'll listen to Brother Wu. Let's go!" Elder Yu gritted his teeth, dispelling the giant scorpion dharma manifestation behind him, and spoke with obvious reluctance.
"That's the right decision. As long as the green hills remain, there'll be no shortage of firewood. As long as we escape with our lives, what's to stop us from avenging this in the future?" Elder Wu let out a breath of relief.
*Roar—* Inside the cage, the skeleton shook its massive skull, releasing a bone-chilling roar. Its other thigh shifted again, and it slowly began to straighten its body.
"Move—"
This time, the two Nascent Souls dared not linger a moment longer. Their escape lights ignited at once, and they transformed into two streaks — one azure, one white — that tore through the air and fled.
In just a dozen or so flickers, they arrived at the very edge of the Blood Lake. With one more surge of their escape techniques, they would break free of this area entirely.
But at that critical moment, a rumbling boom suddenly erupted from ahead. A swath of crimson radiance appeared without the slightest warning, rolling toward them at tremendous speed.
Both elders were startled. They hastily halted their escape light and materialized their Nascent Souls once more, exchanging a glance. One formed a single-handed seal, summoning the phantom of the black fire scorpion behind him once more, while the other opened his mouth and released a small azure bell and a white bone shield.
The crimson radiance appeared to be far away, but after a brief blur, no one knew how it had arrived right before them. The blood light contracted, and five identical young men stepped out side by side.
"The Five Blood Unity Sons!" Elder Wu cried out in shock, involuntarily naming the five figures before him.
"What are you five doing here? Have you been secretly following us this entire time, hoping to reap the rewards without the effort?" Elder Yu's Nascent Soul flashed with a vicious gleam, and he asked in a dark tone.
The five young men stood perfectly still with vacant expressions, as though they hadn't heard a single word.
Both elders were taken aback.
A look of suspicion crept into Elder Yu's eyes. He studied the Five Blood Unity Sons more carefully and finally noticed what was different about them compared to before.
The Five Blood Unity Sons' eyes now glowed with an intensely crimson light. At the same time, their once lustrous skin had grown somewhat more withered than before, and they emanated a faint putrid stench that had never been there previously.
After a moment's contemplation, the old man realized something, and his expression immediately turned grim.